December 10th is celebrated as Terra Madre Day in over 160 countries around the world that make up the International Slow Food network. This year, the theme of Terra Madre Day is the Ark of Taste.

The Ark of what? That’s right. Taste. The Ark of Taste is a campaign of Slow Food International’s Foundation for Biodiversity. It was conceived as a way to call attention to food products that have special cultural or historical significance to the people who produce and consume them, and that are at risk of extinction- either biologically, culturally, or both. No, there is no actual ship full of delicious, artisanal foods. If there were, it would have to be a big one: there are currently 1339 products on the Ark, ranging from Melipona bee Honey of Argentina to the Red Mangalica wooly pig of Romania.

“The Ark was created to point out the existence of these products, draw attention to the risk of their extinction within a few generations, invite everyone to take action to help protect them. In some cases this might be by buying and consuming them, in some by telling their story and supporting their producers, and in others, such as the case of endangered wild species, this might mean eating less or none of them in order to preserve them and favor their reproduction.”

So, what do you say, Canada? Surely there’s room on that giant virtual Ark full of the world’s most cherished food for some more Canadian content! How about some of our incredible seafood? How about Nova Scotia’s smoked mackerel or Solomon Gundy?